Happy Birthday Quinn!
by Tales Account
Summary: It's your birthday, Quinbo, so here are some stories for ya! (This is forum stuff. If you aren't apart of the RWBY Tales of Haven forum, don't bother reading.)
1. Chapter 1

Long ago, before the proper creation of Huntsman and before there was even proper connection between Kingdoms, Mistral was divided into different factions. Although many were created, very few were prevalent, with the largest known ones being the secretive Brawnin bandit clan, the self-righteous Haven clan of warriors, and the infamous White Fang clan. The White Fang, being the most well known of the clans, was a coalition- a group formed by the Faunus of Haven that were seen as second citizens, and were all led by the demon king known as Lord Adam.

Lord Adam wished to become the one to unite all of Mistral, pronouncing himself Shogun. The ruler of feudal Mistral. In order to keep follows loyal to him though, he needed to form a ranking system. Something that would keep his followers in line. Of course, he would only be allowing his most trusted of captains to be his leaders, but Lord Adam was cunning and ruthless. If a lieutenant of his were to betray him, it would be best that they would lay down their life, least they want their honor destroyed and their land destroyed.

That's what Crimson Briar understood of her Shogun, yet here she was, adding a comrade that by all right should be dead by her hand. Truly, it was quite baffling she had actually brought Russet Sinopeda to her castle after his humiliation at the latest ambush against the Haven clan. It was quite clear that, not only was defeat potentially punishable by death, loss of a Faunus trait was a death sentence. Russ should have committed seppuku right then and there in order to regain what little dignity he had, but Crimson, in their getaway, had been preventing him from taking any such action.

The lieutenant held no regards to honor when battling, only truly believing that effectiveness was key, but even she understood that her mortally injured samurai had no use left anymore. He was just about as good as dead, but the thought of killing him… It angered Crimson that she could not truly find a reason on why she refused to allow him death.

"My lord, is something the matter?" A voice spoke out to Crimson, breaking her away from her thoughts. "Your face twists in vexation. Are you alright?"

The lord in question would take in her surroundings once more as she realized she was speaking to the injured samurai in question, finding that her chambers was not consisting of just her. The castle, better known as a Shiro, was well guarded, though she had requested for her throne room to be empty for her and Russet. The castle was decorated in mostly red with gold sprinkled around, the wood making up the castle being red while the roofs panels were black and glass-like, shining as it reflected the incandescent orb in the sky known as the sun. Despite how bright it was outside, Crim's chambers were most dark, with low candle lights that Faunus could only make out. Her facility was the perfect interrogation ground for when they captured enemy humans, and the perfect place for training the senses, allowing Crimson to grow accustomed to the darkness. It was well suited for her, she would jest internally.

Speaking of, Crimson, being one of Lord Adam's higher lieutenants, wore much more royal clothing in comparison to other White Fang members, her rather small though mature body hugged by a red silk Junihitoe- a multi-layered kimono that only women of higher power wore in Mistral. It was… Work getting into one, but, if it's required to show her superiority, the blonde wolf faunus supposed it was for the best. Feeling superior meant no one would dare lay a hand on her without her permission. At least she didn't do anything with her hair though. That was overdoing it.

Surprisingly, despite her desire to feel superior, Crimson felt no superiority when with Russet, who was kneeling in his red kimono top and his black hakama bottom before her in complete submission,ready to take his own life for her. His left arm, being that of a large centipede body, was limp, with a large hole left within the center of it, though it was burned and heavily bandaged in an attempt to keep the bleeding to a minimum. His hands grazed the handle of his wakizashi, the small blade having been cleaned and sharpened just for him to impale himself. In Crim's eyes, he looked rather pathetic.

That internally and potentially unconsciously saddened Crimson, especially with how well regarded she had him. Despite his annoying stoic, selfless and logical demeanor, the centipede Faunus samurai had grown on her. His company was a welcome change to her bland life surrounded by death, almost all of which was caused by her either intentionally or unintentionally. Their simple though amusing banter made Crim almost happy about her decisions in life, though she knew she didn't have the guts to pursue anything with Russet. He might have been a welcome change in her life, but the last time Crimson let her guard down for a boy…

She shuddered at the thought. No, no time for focusing on such things. She had more pressing matters to attend to. "It's due to the fact I'm still here, isn't it?" Crimson's eyes refocused on Russet as he spoke once more. She lost concentration again.

"What makes you believe that, Russet?" Crim spoke out inquisitively, thought truth be told, he was correct. Did he know about her hesitance on eliminating him?

Russet couldn't help but let out a small smile, though it was clear there was more sadness than happiness behind his expression. "I failed you. Instead of protecting you, I had gone out and been defeated by a human. Not only that, I was also humiliated. I assume my presence has been more of a nuisance."

"You've always been a nuisance. I fail to see how this creates any change." Crimson joked from her throne, though she had bit her upper lip when she heard only silence from Russet. Curse her silver tongue. It was clear that this was no joking manner, but her she was. It wouldn't be hard to imagine Russ being miserable at this moment. Feeling a sharp tinge of guilt, Crim sighed, "Russ, you understand you aren't a nuisance. I am not annoyed at you, just… This situation."

Now that somewhat caught Russet's curiosity. "How so… my lord?" He has almost forgotten the formality after he spoke- something that he did with those higher ups he became comfortable with. Despite it being a sign of trusting thoughts, Lord Adam demanded him to not slip up. The most lieutenants wanted respected over trust.

In this case though, Crim felt somewhat relieved that Russ trusted her to an extend. She didn't quite know the extend, but the trust was present. Now the question was if she should provide him the truth or not. Russet has done quite a lot for her, taking in a majority of injuries that were meant for her, and it was no hiding that he was loyal to her. Plus, his cat was _adorable_. How could she deny someone like that the truth?

"Russet?" Crimson asked out, getting off from her throne as she slowly moved towards her samurai. "Why would you take your life for me here? I want every reason you could think of."

There was a silence following Crimson as she spoke, Russet's head still remaining down as his long black hair covered his eyes. Crim hopes to see his expression. It would be good to know his expressions. "Well…" Russ finally began, "I believe that I would take my life not only to preserve my honor, but to ensure your safety."

This confused Crimson, one of her eyebrows raising inquisitively. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it is clear I should be dead. My purpose has been fulfilled. I have fought and killed for the White Fang, and now that I am worn out, I should die for it. Lord Adam would demand it. And if you go against our Shogun-"

"Do you wish to die."

"No."

Russet picked his head up to look up Crimson as he responded, his brown and red eyes resembling rust having a distinct emotion behind them. A longing. A want to survive. A want to prove himself. It was a look that Crimson knew she held in her icy blue eyes, understanding what emotions Russ was suffering, but the centipede faunus did have a considerably large amount of sadness running through him. He wanted to prove himself, but in Russ' eyes, he couldn't do so anymore. He's lost his chance as he had lost the function of using his left arm.

Crimson thought otherwise however.

"Cut off your left arm." Crimson suddenly stated, watching as Russet's eyed went wide.

Russ was at a loss of words at the sudden request of his lord. "Why? I can simply take my life if you wish. Do you wish me to suffer?"

Crimson simply shook her head. "Cut off your arm. Do it for me." It didn't take Russet much convincing afterwards. He had made his piece over the fact his arm was now functionless, and thus useless just like him. It was just a bit difficult to build up the courage. His centipede arm and him had a complicated history… It was what kept him away from the kindness of humans, but had opened him to the kindness of faunus. It had it positives and negatives, and probably was the most crucial part to him forming his identity. Now, his lord was telling him to remove it from his body.

Russet took a deep breath as he clenched his teeth together, his right hand grabbing a hold of his wakizashi finally. With a solid swing and a somewhat muffled groan of pain, the centipede arm was lobbed off, blood oozing from his wound. It certainly was painful for the the centipede faunus, but he didn't get much of a break as Crimson rushed away and returned with a candle, as well as torchwood and alcohol.

"W-Wait!" Before Russet could voice his concern though, the now alcohol-dosed and burning torchwood was placed underneath his stub of an arm, cauterizing the wound quickly. Pain rushed through Russ' body, the young man unable to hold back a yell of pain as he grabbed as he burnt flesh, falling onto his back and grabbing the red blisters. What the hell was this trying to accomplish?

Crimson allowed herself an exhale as she watched Russ writhe in pain. That man needed a fucking vacation. They both needed one. "Go." The lieutenant spoke out, motioning to the back of her throne. "You know I have a secret exit. Leave your arm, and escape. If I bring Adam back your arm, he will believe I eliminated you. Here's your chance to live."

Baffled by what Crimson has spoken, Russet slowly made it to his feet, grabbing his now bloodied wakizashi from the floor and sheathing it. "W… Why? W-Why would you go out of your way for me?" Russ asked, unable to comprehend why Crim would go out of her way to risk her safety and give him a second chance. He was fond of her, with their simply though amusing banters becoming fun for him, but he doubted the feelings were returned… Were they?

"Why not?" Crimson shrugged, a small smile on her face. His cluelessness was cute, and his concern was relieving. She really hasn't meant anyone as sincere like him before. "You're a smart man. I'm sure you can comprehend that you deserve more than this. At the very least. I want you to have more than this." It was the truth. Russ deserved more than hatred and death. He was a good man at heart, and he's done some not too good thing. Maybe some good would make him feel better.

Russet couldn't help but feel touched by Crimson's reasoning, silently admiring her words and her feelings for him. Was he falling for her? "What if I'm satisfied with this?" Russ spoke up, closing up on Crimson as looked down at her. Even with him being barefoot and with her wearing sandals that allowed her to stand tall, the height difference was quite significant. It was hilarious to Russet, annoying to Crimson.

Despite this height difference though, Crim could still put a hand on his cheeks, her face not too far from his his face as she got on her tippy-toes. "Trust me- you shouldn't." Crimson whispered to him somberly, saddened by the fact that she might never see Russet but understanding this was the right course of action. "I'll help you find a new home. I want to make sure this isn't the last time we see each other… You would be hopeless without me, and that'd make all this useless."

At that, Russ couldn't help but chuckle, a small smile creeping onto his face before fading. He will miss Crim, that's for sure, but it comforted him that it wouldn't be the last time he saw her. "Thank you, Crimson." The former samurai thanked sincerely, internally indebting himself to Crimson. He needed to say something to really get it across he truly did appreciate what she had done, but what did he really have for her? "Would it be okay if Tamto stayed with you for a while."

"Impossible. It's tempting to just quit being a Lord and just take care of Tamto, but he's your cat."

"Double impossible. This is the only way I can repay you. Plus, I can see him when you visit, so you better visit more often."

"Double impossible? I don't think that works."

"What? It should work. It _does_ work."

"Works about as well as your arm."

There was a solid moment of silence after that solid burn, Crimson feeling herself internally scream within her head about what she had seen. Waaaaaay too soon, Crim. Way too soon. "I-I'm s-"

Before the wolf faunus even got a chance to apologize, she would be awfully surprised to find that her lips were being touched by Russet's lips, the taller of the two bending over to kiss her. This only increased the internal screaming, her eyes growing wide and her cheeks red. At first, she couldn't help but feel blissful, having a guy that she liked lock lips with her for a moment, but then she remembered the set up to then kissing. Her joke about his arm. Was he seriously okay with that?

When they finally pulled away, the blushing lieutenant of Lord Adam spoke. "Did you just kiss me after I made that joke about your severed arm."

As a response, Russet shrugged. "I thought the joke was hilarious. I, Uh… Couldn't help myself either." The last part he admitted was rather embarrassing for the jet black haired man, his cheeks also becoming a shade red. "I apologize."

"Don't apologize. It was nice." Crimson informed him honestly, though she internally sighed. This was going to make the next few weeks complicated. "But poorly timed. You should go now, before the guards arrive."

Nodding his head, Russet Sinopeda made his way towards the throne, looking back at Crimson one last time before he vanished behind the entrance behind the elevated throne. Once alone, Crimson couldn't help but sigh out, her palm lightly palming against her forehead. She could only hope she wasn't making a horrible mistake. Not only was she allowing Russet to live, but she could potentially be in the pursuit of something… Else. She wasn't a hundred present yet herself. Did she really want to risk her life on the unknown?

' _I need to think this over…'_ Crimson mentally states as she approaches her throne, walking up each step in a slow and methodical fashion as she thought, before finally sitting on her throne, finally alone like how she originally intended to be. Now though, she didn't want to be alone. In the past few minutes, Russ was able to make isolation seem rather alien to her. She hoped they could visit each other soon, once she was free of her duties. The White Fang did need to unite Mistral, and Crimson Briar had every intention and making sure everything went well.


	2. Chapter 2

Rye J. Weston felt like he was a breakthrough for something. He really did. For the first time in a while, he had actually built something that was complex and challenging for him. Something that he knew would become a marvel for the next few years, even by his standards. Unlike the rest of his gadgets, he didn't build a weapon, or an arm, or a leg. No, he didn't have to, as no one was in real harm, but the cyborg knew that wouldn't last forever, especially for him. Due to being a higher grade than others and being the pilot to a much more advantageous mech, it was clear to him that his life span was going to be short. He was going to die one of these days.

But it didn't necessarily meant he had to be gone. At least not his skills. With his latest new invention, Rye could upload his memories and inventive skills onto a three-dimensional printer which, using a large variety of materials, could create all the things he could and more. He could build a sword, a gun, a prosthetic, and he didn't have to be there. All the machine needed was a voice command.

Sure, it wasn't too revolutionary, but it certainly was quite the leap for Rye. It made sense why he wanted to go to Arthur and Amitola to tell them about his new machine, and explain the complex machinery behind it. To have them come over and witness the thing he was most proud of.

But, in hindsight, he probably shouldn't have entered their room while there was a 'DO NOT DISTURB' sign hanging from the doorknob. At first, Rye didn't really care, believing that Arthur was being lazy and sleeping, or Amitola was doing something in isolation, like reading or painting or trying to understand the concept of a thumb war.

Instead they were fucking.

Like, straight up. Just sex. Doing it. Making love. Becoming one. Mixing the lime in the coconut.

Rye was unsure if that last part was an actual phrase use.

It felt a bit awkward just walking in, seeing Amitola and Arthur's naked bodies underneath the covers as they softly though intensely breathed, the collision of their body halting immediately as they saw, wide eyed, Rye standing in the doorway, not really caring that he saw his two closest friends having sex but feeling somewhat awkward for interrupting them. As an asexual person, Rye wasn't exactly finding himself being either embarrassed or attracted to either of them, but he had to admit that the two of them did seem quite beautiful, with Amitola's beautiful personality being reflected in her Amazonian body, and Arthur's determination to protect the ones he loved and more making it understandable why he was fit. They were like sculptures, almost.

Plus, this was the first time in a while Rye got to see Amitola's back, observing how it was rather healed. He couldn't help but smile at his success, as it had led to Amitola and Arthur being able to lead a happy life. He doubted they would be having sex this passionately if the Amazon was still paralyzed.

Rye's smile was cut short however as he put his hands over his ears, hoping to block out the two screaming out in unison, "RYE!" It was quite clear they weren't happy.

"Hi you two. I'm sorry to interrupt." Rye apologized, hoping to make eye contact with either one of them, but watching as they turned away, embarrassed. Strange. "I was going to tell you two of an invention I made, but I'll do so later. You're both busy."

Silence.

"I can delete my memory of this ever happening if you'd like." Rye spoke up, assuming that would fix the problem. Of course, he couldn't _actually_ delete his memories, but he can act like he did in order to make the two naked couple feel comfortable.

"Yes, please." Amitola nodded, hoping to hide herself under the cover. She wasn't too aware of Arthur suddenly looking at Rye, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he readied himself up for a joke.

"Can you give me a copy of the memory before you delete-" Arthur didn't get to get throw the rest of his joke as Amitola lightly whacked him on the head, glaring daggers into him for a moment. "I was joking! I was joking!" The blond swordsman responded, looking up at Amitola with his bright green eyes. Even in the most uncomfortable of times, Aurtheolin Dragoon could find humor in anything. One of the numerous reasons why Amitola married him.

With a small smile growing on his face from the two's rather amusing attitude, Rye gave them a small wave as he exited the room. "Have fun. If you're trying to put a baby in the oven, then make me the godfather." And like that, Rye was gone, leaving the lovers to their own devices.

Being alone with Amitola now, Arthur could help but sigh. That was a lot more awkward than he wanted to admit. "Hon-bun, why do we not have a proper lock installed in our dorm room?"

"I wish I knew the answer to that one." Amitola sighed, her breathing now steady as she felt more comfortable, her hands trailing down her husband's chest. It seemed to her that Rye had a bad habit of coming in at the wrong time. "I can lock the door if you want."

"I do want that, buuuuuuuuut you know what the alternative is?" Arthur grinned, his hands trailing downwards as he grasped Amitola's ass. The result was a small gasp, followed by a small smirk by the Amazon. Her husband did have quite a bit of stamina, so it made sense why he wanted to go for longer. She did too.

"What about if someone were to walk in?" Amitola asked innocently, her fingers slowly crawling up Arthur's chest. "It could happen again if we aren't careful."

Arthur shrugged his shoulders as a response, one of his hands trailing up his wife's back as their eyes made contact. God her turquoise eyes made him feel like was back at the beach. Back where they first went surfing. Then where they went surfing after he proposed. Finally, where then got married. Even if the most tragic of times took place on the beach, Arthur could only remember the good times with Amitola. She was his saving grace from all the hardships of life. He couldn't help but admire her.

Love probably wasn't even a describing word for how much he cared for her. It was too much more than that.

"Then let's hope we can finish before they can come." Arthur whispered to Amitola, and with a small smile on both of their faces, their lips met, interlocking as they kissed passionately. Nothing would get in the way of this- "Hey, fuckers!"

And now Mordred's here.

"Okay, maybe next time we block the door." Arthur admitted, apologetic. Him and his big fucking mouth.


End file.
